No Knead Cinnamon Rolls

I love cinnamon rolls, they are one of my favorite things to eat for breakfast and throughout the day. These no knead cinnamon rolls are incredible! They are soft, pillowy, and full of flavor. If you like cinnamon rolls you will love these!

My other cinnamon roll recipe is fantastic so I am happy to add this one to the mix. You can never have too many cinnamon roll recipes right? For these no-knead cinnamon rolls instead of using a classic glaze on top, they will be topped with an amazing homemade cream cheese frosting. These rolls are super duper easy to make if I can do it, you can do it. Let’s get baking!

For more yummy breakfast recipes go here.

Step 1: Gather the ingredients and tools for the no knead cinnamon rolls

In order to make these delicious no knead cinnamon rolls, we will need to some ingredients and tools. You will need the following:

Dough

• Water – Use filtered water if your tap water doesn’t taste very good. The water here in Phoenix is terrible. I always use filtered water when baking.
• Active dry yeast – I normally use active dry yeast, but you can use the instant/rapid rise yeast as well.
• Butter – This recipe uses lots of butter, butter is amazing. The fat in the butter will help make the dough tender. And of course, add lots of flavor to it.
• White granulated sugar – The main sweet element in the dough. This can be reduced if desired.
• Eggs – The eggs will help the dough rise really high along with the yeast and it will also help to develop a more tender roll.
• Flour – I have used both all-purpose and bread flour with this particular recipe and they both work great.
• Salt – a great flavor enhancer. It will also stabilize and add structure to the rolls.
• Butter for basting – Yes we will add more butter to the top of the rolls. I love butter.

Filling

• Brown sugar – You may also use white granulated sugar if you desire
• Butter – I generally use unsalted butter. Yes, more butter!
• Cinnamon – You can’t have cinnamon rolls without the cinnamon. That would just be silly.
• Vanilla extract – An option ingredient that helps boost the flavor of the filling.

Cream Cheese Frosting

• Cream cheese – Leave the cream cheese out at room temperature for a few hours to soften up.
• Butter – Yes more butter!
• Powdered Sugar – Also referred to as confectioner’s sugar or icing sugar. This will balance out the tartness of the cream cheese.
• Vanilla extract – Again will enhance the flavor of the frosting.

Tools

• Bowls
• Rolling pin
• 13×17 inch pan or use two smaller pans:
• basting brush
• dental floss or knife
• plastic wrap
• damp cloth
• hand mixer

Step 2: How to make no knead cinnamon rolls

To begin, heat your water in a small bowl, to around 100 to 110 F (37 to 43 C). Then add about a tsp. of your granulated sugar to it. After that add in your yeast and agitate it a bit with a fork. Let the yeast sit until it gets nice and foamy, about 5 to 10 minutes. If after that it isn’t foamy, it is likely that the yeast is bad, or the water was too hot or too cold. I would start again if I were you. The last thing you want is to use all the ingredients for the dough and have it not rise because the yeast was bad.

Step 3: Adding butter, sugar, and eggs

Next, after the yeast is ready, add it to a large bowl. Melt the butter, and add it to the bowl with the yeast. Make sure the butter isn’t too hot otherwise it will kill the yeast. Add the rest of the white granulated sugar. and use a whisk to combine. Then in a separate bowl whisk the eggs. Combine the eggs with the other ingredients in the large bowl and whisk them all together.

Step 4: Finish the cinnamon roll dough with flour

Now add the salt to the flour and then add about 1/3 of it to the large bowl with the other ingredients. Use the whisk to mix the flour in. After that, set the whisk aside, the mixture will be too thick to use it any longer. Keep adding the flour and mixing it in with a wooden spoon until all combined. The resulting dough will be nice and tacky, which is what we want.

Step: 5 Cinnamon roll dough…rise!

Place the dough in a very large bowl that has been sprayed with kitchen spray. Then cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp cloth and let the dough rise for 2.5 to 3 hours until the dough has tripled in size. I always use my handy dough proofer it creates the perfect setting for the dough to rise.

Step 6: Make the no knead cinnamon roll filling

After the dough has risen it is time to make the filling. In a small bowl combine the brown sugar, the star of this dish, the cinnamon, and the vanilla extract. Use a fork or small whisk to mix them together. You may also use white granulated sugar instead of brown sugar if you like.

Step 7: Roll out that dough

Now, roll out the dough on a floured surface. Try and get it into a large rectangle table as best as you can. Then baste the top of the dough with some yummy butter. Oh, I do love butter. After that sprinkle on the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture. You can add other things too if you like, such as pecans, raisins, etc.

Step 8: Roll up that cinnamon roll dough

Next, roll up the dough fairly tight. You will wind up with a long snakelike bit of yummy cinnamon roll dough. Time to cut it up into rolls. A knife will work to cut the rolls, but sometimes it will smash down the rolls.

A little trick I learned way back in my 8th-grade cooking class is to use dental floss to cut the rolls. Pretty cool right? Take the floss and put it under the dough then cross it over the top and pull each end. It will saw right through the dough effortless creating a perfect cut without damaging the dough. Again, though, you can just use a knife if you wish.

Place the rolls in a large baking pan that has been sprayed with kitchen spray. I normally use my 13×7 inch pan, but you can use two smaller pans. Occasionally I will use both a 13×9 inch pan and a 10 inch round pan. Cover the rolls and allow them to rise for another 1.5 hours. They should double in size.

Step 9: Butter and Baking

After the cinnamon rolls have risen, baste the top of them with butter. This is optional, but it does add lots of flavor, so I rarely skip this step. Then bake the rolls in a preheated oven at 375 F (190 C) for 15 to 20 minutes until they get nice and golden brown on top. Once they come out of the oven allow them to cool for about 15 minutes.

Step 10: Yummy homemade cream cheese frosting

There are two kinds of people, the kind that prefers a classic glaze on top of their cinnamon rolls, and the others that prefer a cream cheese frosting on top. And then there is me, that doesn’t care as long as he has a freshly baked homemade cinnamon roll in his hands. In this case, cream cheese frosting it is. To make the frosting, add the room-temp softened cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract into a medium-sized bowl. Cream those all together. Then slowly add the powdered sugar until well combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.

If you watch the video tutorial you will notice I doubled the recipe. This is really too much for only these rolls but if you need extra for something else then double it.

Step 11: Frost and server those no knead cinnamon rolls

Now the only thing that is left to do is frost the tops of the cinnamon rolls. You can do it while they are still in the pan or just frost them individually, it is totally up to do. Then serve them! Enjoy.

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4.93 from 13 votes

No Knead Cinnamon Rolls

If you love cinnamon rolls then you have got to try these amazing no knead cinnamon rolls. They are super easy to make and taste so yummy! They turn out being nice and soft and pillowy and are perfect for breakfast, brunch, or any part of the day.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Rising Time4 hours hrs

Total Time4 hours hrs 40 minutes mins

Course: Bread, Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cinnamon, cinnamon rolls, cream cheese, frosting, pillowy, soft, tender

Servings: 16 rolls

Calories: 402kcal

Author: In the Kitchen with Matt

Equipment

• Bowls
• rolling pin
• 13×17 inch pan or use two smaller pans
• Basting brush
• dental floss or knife
• Plastic wrap
• Damp cloth
• Hand mixer

Ingredients

Dough

• 1 1/2 cups of water 355
• 1 Tbsp. of active dry yeast or instant/rapid rise (8.5g)
• 1/4 cup of butter melted (55g)
• 2/3 cup of white granulated sugar 135g
• 2 large eggs
• 4 1/2 cups of all-purpose plain flour (540g)
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt 6g
• Butter for basting the top of the rolls

Filling

• 1 cup brown sugar 200g
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter 113g
• 1 1/2 Tbsp ground cinnamon 11g
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 6ml

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 8 ounces softened cream cheese 225g
• 1/4 cup softened butter 55g
• 2 cups powdered sugar 220g
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 2ml

Instructions

• First, prepare the yeast. Heat the water to 100 to 110 F (37 to 43 C). Then add in about 1 tsp. of the sugar, as well as the yeast. Allow it to sit for 5 to 10 minutes until it gets nice and foamy.
• Once the yeast is ready, melt the butter, and add that to the yeast, along with the rest of the sugar. Whisk the eggs together in a separate bowl and then add them to the bowl with the yeast mixture. Use a whisk and combine everything.
• In a separate bowl, mix together the salt and the flour. Then add it to the large bowl with the yeast mixture. After a while, you will need to switch to a wooden spoon because it will be too thick to use a whisk. Eventually, a nice tacky dough will form.
• Place the dough in a large bowl that has been sprayed with kitchen spray. Cover the cinnamon roll dough with plastic wrap or a damp towel and allow it to rise for 2.5 to 3 hours until it triples in size.
• Once the dough has risen, place it on a floured surface and roll it out into a large rectangle with the dough being around 1/2 of an inch thick. Baste the top of the dough with softened butter.
• In a small bowl combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. This will be the filling. Sprinkle the filling on top of the buttered dough. You may also add pecans, raisins, etc. If you like.
• Roll up the dough fairly tight. Then cut it into rolls. You should be able to get 16 to 17 large rolls out of it. Use a knife or floss to cut the rolls. Place the rolls in a large pan that has been sprayed with kitchen spray. 13×17 inch pan or two smaller pans.
• Cover the pan with plastic wrap or a damp cloth and allow the rolls to rise for 1.5 hours or until doubled in size.
• After the rolls have risen, preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C). Then baste the top of the rolls with butter. And bake them in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes until they get nice and golden brown. In my oven, it is usually right around 18 to 20 minutes. After they come out of the oven, allow them to cool for 15 minutes.
• Create the cream cheese frosting by adding the softened room temp cream cheese to a bowl along with the butter and vanilla extract. Cream those ingredients together using a hand mixer or stand mixer. Then slowly add in the powdered sugar.
• Frost the tops of the cinnamon rolls and serve! Enjoy!

Video

Amazing No Knead Cinnamon Rolls Recipe | How to Make Cinnamon Rolls with cream cheese frosting

Notes

Tried this recipe?Mention @WPRecipeMaker or tag #wprecipemaker!

Nutrition

Calories: 402kcal

Do you like this recipe? Please give it a rating and comment down below, I really appreciate it. If you make it tag me on Instagram @inthekitchenwithmatt. Also, sign up for the newsletter so you won’t miss out on any of my new posts and recipes.

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